Cochabamba

At “only” 2500m height, Cochabamba is on the way between La Paz and Santa Cruz. Growing for the last years, this is a noisy, animated and agitated city. There is nothing to compare with its neighbors Sucre and Potosi. Colonial inheritance, Cochabamba is the moving Bolivia, that lives, celebrates (the student population is very important). Mostly populated by poor persons, some districts reflect, nevertheless, some richness for a small minority. Cochabamba is also very marked with its political struggles. It was in its street that the “war for water” took place in 2000. The population, outraged by the privatization of companies providing water, as well as the price increase, almost led a civil war. After continuous turmoil during more than one year, the price fell to its precedent price, giving to Cochabamba a special aura in respect to social reclamation (and victory). It also was on Cochabamba’s region that Evo Morales relied on while he came into policy, stepping up the highest position.